Tuesday, May 20, 2008

I'm going to China!

Hello everyone! Let me introduce myself and give a brief introduction to what I am going to be writing about in this blog. The UWEC College of business received a grant to internationalize the curriculum and provide for international opportunities for students and faculty. Part of this initiative is an international internship. Dr. Rama Yelkur visited many companies in China to build relationships. During this trip she arranged an internship at H & T International Logistics LTD. in Guangzhou (Near Hong Kong in the Guangdong province -and no, not close to the earthquakes!). I am extremely excited to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I hope to learn more about business culture in China, international logistics, and how I can use this experience to start a career in international business.

I am writing this first entry only a few hours before I get on my plane bound for China. I will first fly into Shanghai to visit Megtec, which makes products for the printing and flexible packaging industries. Megtec’s has generously paid for my plane ticket so I thought I would visit their company to say thanks! Their world headquarters is located in De Pere, WI but they have operations in many different countries.

After visiting Megtec I will stop by Hangzhou to visit some relatives for a few days who are teaching English at a University.

The next leg of my journey will take me to Guangzhou. A Jinan University Professor will meet me at the airport and then take me to the main campus. I will stay there for the summer while I work at H & T, which is only 20 minutes away by bus.

I have studied and traveled in Asia before but I have don’t know what to expect when I get to China. China has fascinated me for quite some time; I will try to learn as much as I can about the language, culture, politics, and business while I am here. I will be immersed in Chinese daily life by working at a Chinese company and living with Chinese students. I will even get to do some socializing- on Thursdays the whole office plays ping-pong after work! I should have been practicing so I don’t get embarrassed!

So, check back for more updates and send me any questions you have! This experience will be very interesting and I hope I can share some of it with you!